Internet of Things Technology leader Kii is closing a long-standing gap in the retail gasoline and oil industry for the monitoring of Underground Storage Tanks (UST). Up until now, petroleum retailers relied on antiquated remote monitoring tactics which included sending daily facsimiles or calling to communicate critical data such as fuel levels, leaks and water levels, and alarms. These outdated methods caused a lack of timely and consistent fuel levels resulting frequently in empty tanks. Solutions were developed to transmit data via the internet, but complexities in set up, use and troubleshooting caused frustration and added expense. And these systems were not always reliable.
But with Kii’s real-time monitoring kit these grueling tactics and often detrimental symptoms of the ancient process are over. Kii has developed a simple solution that uses a 4G wireless gateway that plugs into an underground tank level monitoring console, and within minutes, tank data levels and alarms are available to all stakeholders on their mobile device or web portal. Additionally, Kii’s cloud diagnostics allow for remote troubleshooting of this system so problems are resolved before a retailer even realizes an issue exists.
Kii understands that petroleum distributors need to optimize their business and that the cost of servicing tanks is one of their largest expenses. Distributors want simple, reliable, and effective solutions that provide the precision insights needed to manage their business, consistently and effectively. Kii tank monitoring for UST’s is designed to meet these objectives. It provides real time insights and alerts, is simple to set up, is trouble free, and intuitive so that anyone can use with little training. This user friendly, consistently reliable tool enables distributors to focus on managing their business while servicing customers.
The Kii cloud solution not only saves companies time but money too. Ray Bordeaux, Director of Retail Dealers at Colonial Oil Industries, Inc. says the implementation of Kii’s monitoring software was a game changer for his company. “We installed the Kii software at 21 of our stations in December of last year and the technology has saved my company four hours of manpower per station each week,” shares Bordeaux. The simplicity of the process allowed Bordeaux’s team to quickly double that number to more than 41. “We are finding this solution provides a five times return on the investment” states Ray. Consequently, he plans to roll-out the technology to the rest of his company’s 65 retail sites over the next several months. “Running out of inventory is the kiss of death to a retailer,” explains Bordeaux. “Customers lose faith and we then lose their business. It’s imperative that we keep tanks full and operable if we are going to remain competitive.”
The newfound time—created by the Kii technology—has enabled leadership at Colonial Oil Industries to focus on monitoring fuel stock and adjust their pricing more efficiently. “Because we can now effectively predict when a tank is going to be low, we have the time to check the market, adjust our prices accordingly and remain as viable as possible.” With more accurate pricing and no longer at risk for running out of fuel, the company’s retail stations are beating competition in the region. Their tanks remain full and so do their cash registers.
Kii Corporation is a Cisco portfolio company. They offer a mature, enterprise-grade IoT Solution Enablement Platform and Solutions for select verticals such as Smart Vending, Petroleum Tank Monitoring, Temperature Monitoring and more. Kii enables cost-effective, complex IoT solutions, addressing unique customer requirements over the life cycle of the business. https://en.kii.com
